rocking on anchor

BillyK

.
Jan 24, 2010
502
Catalina 310 Ocean City, NJ
Has anyone used a Rock 'n' Roll Stabilizer System or anything similar? Last year we were out to watch the airshow off of Atlantic City, and it was just about unbearable with how much we were rolling (tick tocking) on the hook. looking for a bought or possible DIY solution to the issue...

Thanks.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
You might try what fishing boats use, a weighted plate hung off the side of the boat that reduces the side to side roll. Thinking you could make one out of plywood wrapped in fiberglass. Put some large holes in it to allow water to move through the stabilizer. Hang it off your boom swung out over the water. Hang a couple of pounds weight to hold it down in the water. A line under the bottom of the boat, and your topping lift to provide attachment to the hull.
Might work...
Here is a typical set up used when underway.
Stabilizer.jpg
 
Apr 4, 2016
201
Newport 28 Richardson Marina
Larry Pardey describes using a weighted milk crate with a rubber baffle in the bottom. When going down the rubber lifts allowing water through while going up it closes like a check valve, would be pretty cheap to test out.
 
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BillyK

.
Jan 24, 2010
502
Catalina 310 Ocean City, NJ
that's an interesting idea.... i happen to have two crates in the garage and a rubber exercise mat in the basement i could re-purpose.. i could use a small mushroom anchor hung off the bottom of them which i have too...
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
When at anchor you should be bow to the waves not side on. Are you trying to counter other boat traffic waves? or are you talking about swinging, port to starboard, instead of just laying behind the anchor?
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,989
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
A topic of endless banter, I predict. Well, it's already known to be--so not much of a prediction there. The answer is no; not that particular brand; but yes, I have used other types. My experience is that they can work reasonably well up to a point. But in the end--at best--they only shorten the duration of some rocking episodes and dampen, somewhat, the amplitude of those episodes. Shorter duration, lower amplitude at the low intensity end of the range of rocking/rolling episodes. I'm speaking here in terms of fairly small waves/wavelets as drivers. Something big comes along and the "stoppers" can do little; actually, next to nothing to tap it down in short time.

I deploy on one side only from my spinnaker pole set athwart and supported outboard by the spinnaker halyard. It is set high enough that I can walk or run under it. The stopper is suspended from the pole by a floating (polypropylene) line led through a snatch block attached to the pole and then stopped off at the cockpit via a second snatch block to a deck padeye. I can adjust the depth of the stopper by easing or trimming that line. I send the device down about 10-12 ft in the hope that it will not pop out and strike the boat on a really big roll. When I push or pull the pole forward the stopper is automatically hoisted to deck level or nearly, so I can fetch it aboard w/o lifting it much myself. So, it's very fast to recover, even at night.

The stopper itself is a rectangle welded of black iron made of two frames, painted, with a zig-zag pattern of cross members on one frame. A layer of thick plastic cut from the center out to form flappers shaped like pie slices is sandwiched between the two frames which are then fastened together. As it goes down, the water passes though the flappers, pushing them up some; as it comes up the water presses the plastic against the cross members of the lower frame, sealing the flappers, etc. A four-point bridle of wire rope from the corners to a brass ring is used to suspend it. I've used the Davidson (Mexican hat) cones as well. Way too much trouble, IMHO; and not even a bit more effective than the DYI device described. Very similar to the one pictured below.

Stopper.jpg
 
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Jul 27, 2011
4,989
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
The idea of facing waves/wavelets to avoid rocking might work in some situations. That is, I mean to say, if the boat can be positioned to always face the waves/wavelets while anchored, then most of the rocky would subside. Doing that, however, is not so easy in all situations. It usually requires mooring the vessel (bow-stern anchor) in a position that might face the waves/wavelets, but not the wind or the current, etc. It'd also be a PIA to set and reset stern anchors; I don't particularly like to. My wife and I have grown more tolerant of rocking episodes, even when the conditions causing them persist for hours (such as from nightfall to the wee hours); but, if they eventually seem too much of a nuisance, especially if the stopper rig is already deployed, we'll move to a different anchorage, which is the best solution.
 
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